That Fateful Day
by Dragonlover24186
Summary: 9/11/2001, "Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger..."


It doesn't seem all that long ago...that day. Maybe it was the day I finally started growing up...maybe it simply showed me what a child I still am. I woke up early in the morning, around 8:30. Something prompted me to get up. I had just gotten into New York late that night, my boss said it was necessary to talk to the governor, George Pataki, for the upcoming...you know, I can't even remember why I was there for certain, but I was to meet with him at 9:30. I peered out the window in the living room, you could see all of New York from my hotel room. I love this city; the bustling streets, the ever-evolving skyline, the way that anything could happen there. Even now, I still enjoy gazing out at the magnificent city, but that day was something else. I had been staring out the window for fifteen minutes, noticing the majestic towers of the World Trade Center. They caught your eye immediately, they looked exactly the same from a few blocks away, but then again, that's why they were the Twin Towers after all. I noticed something very irregular in that next minute, an American Airlines plane flying way under regulation altitude. I knew something was up, aviation is my hobby, it's what I do. That's when I saw it, feeling it right away, the Boeing 767 crashed right into the North tower, somewhere between floor 93 and 99.

I felt it, the blood dripping, it stung my eye as it dripped all the way to the floor. I tried saying something...but the only word I uttered was

"Why..."

* * *

It was a pleasant, stormy day in northern London. Sitting down in the plush armchair filling the corner of the tea room, I grasped my third cup of Earl Gray, enjoying the pleasant afternoon. It was in the latter three in the afternoon, I spoke for a long time to Blair, that is Tony Blair, the prime minister. He wished for a meeting with America's boss in the near future to discuss something of minor importance. I cracked the window open, the brisk London air tinged with the scent of rain was strangely comforting. Suddenly, one of the young attendants broke into the room, wide-eyed and out of breath.

"Sir Kirkland! Sir Kirkland! It is an emergency!"

"Calm down lad, tell me what the problem is"

"It's...you just need to see this!"

He directed me to the room with the small tele in it. He had it on already and on mute from what I could tell. I stared at the screen, noticing immediately that it was not on mute, the video had no sound. The broadcaster's voice came up.

"This was the scene just minutes ago in New York. It is suspected that a terrorist group hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 bound for Las Angeles, redirecting it into the North Tower. The plane collided at 8:46 a.m in Pacific time. We ar-"

I had to turn it off...

_America..._

_No...Alfred..._

_Please say he is ok...please say he is not doing something stupid right now..._

Without thinking, I picked up the phone and mashed down the numbers to his cell. Please pick up. _Ring._ He'll answer with that happy tone like always. _Ring._ If he answers at all...It went right to voice mail...why would he answer his phone anyway? It is not like I would be worried for him...he's just...my...little brother and I needed to get in touch with him right now. I decided to dial another number, someone who may be able to get in contact with America easily, Canada. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello? England? I'm guessing you heard the news..."

"Yes, have you heard from him at all?"

"No...I'm on my way over to find him, all of his flights are being diverted to Ontario and Vancouver"

"So I have to use a private jet then?"

"England, it's going to be dangerous over there. Are you sure you want to come?"

What kind of question was that? He's my brother...bloody hell, he's my friend and I need to be there for him.

"I am on my way, can I meet you in New York?"

"Of course, I'll be in touch, but I have to go now, we're there!"

* * *

I was running as fast as my legs could take me to the tower. Back at the house, it took all the capacity that I had not to jump straight out of the window, but if I got hurt, who would be the hero? The attendant I had in the hotel, my ambassador from New York, tried to make me stay put, but there was no way in hell I could do that. I couldn't just sit there and watch all those people die...

I pushed past the gathering crowd. One of the fire fighters stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing"

"Look, there's not time to argue with me, I have to-"

"I meant looking like that, you'll need this helmet and mask "

Of course he'd recognize me, the entire city knew me by face due to how often I stayed there. The helmet I understood, it had a light fixed on its top, but the mask confused me for a minute, until I got inside. The smoke was thick, you couldn't see fifteen feet in front of you. Even with the mask, I could feel it deep in my lungs, slowly choking me. Another man met me at the entrance, he was saying how it was better to go in pairs. I agreed, so we made our slow, deliberate march up the floors.

* * *

Oh Al...Of course I took the re-routed flights into my bigger cities, but I was still so worried about what else I could do. I arrived in New York the quickest way I could find, it took a little over twenty minutes for me to be on site. I saw the second attack, at 9:03 United Airlines Flight 175 had hit somewhere between floors 77 and 85. I was a bit concerned, but this was Alfred after all, he could get through anything. Ground Zero, I think that's what they were calling it, was filled with chaos. People running and screaming everywhere, some were being taken by ambulance, some were just trying to make it out of the buildings. After the second hit, I had to wonder how much more of this they had in store for America. I glanced around, wondering where he was, how could he not be right here? There was no way I could make it before him was there? I tried his phone again...

…..nothing.

* * *

I must have sent twenty or so people on their way by the time I reached the twentieth floor. There were a lot of rescuers on the first couple of floors, so we went as high as we could. My partner, I found out his name was Michael Gale, insisted no one was on that floor, it had construction going on today, but I didn't leave that fast. Something told me there was someone here. I tread lightly, standing on the structural supports to investigate the floor. Then I felt it, the slow ripping right over my eye. They hit the other tower...

I screamed out in pain, bringing my hand to my face. I was covered in blood on one half of my face and now my hand was the crimson red. Michael came over with concern, he knew who I was...that made it worse.

"Jones, you alright?"

"Yah...don't worry about me, they just...hit the other tower"

"Then we need to keep moving right?"

"Of course, that's how heroes do it"

He enjoyed the 'hero' character as well, though he may have been doing it to comfort me. Just then, I heard something...it was faint, but there was definitely someone there. I looked around and finally found it, a hand. I grabbed the hand, looking desperately for a pulse when the hand grabbed my wrist.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there"

Michael and I removed all the rubble we could, but a large structural beam from the twenty first floor was pinning her to the floor. That's when I saw her, a young girl, no older than ten.

"Please hurry..."

"Michael, I'll pick up the beam if you can get her out"

"There's no way you can do that by yourself, let me help"

"No, I can do this alone"

I shifted my arms under it, pulling it up a foot or two. I'm pretty strong, but that was pushing it. It felt like I had the entire building up. He got her out from the beam, so I put the beam back down.

"Are you ok? Can you walk?"

"No Mister...My ankle hurts really bad"

"Your ankle? Ok, I'm going to carry you out then alright? Take this mask"

"Okay"

I picked her up with ease, she was nothing like that beam from a few moments ago.

"Michael, you can keep going, but I need to get this girl out"

"No problem man, I'll meet you outside"

"You better!"

He swiftly disappeared into the smoke, it was up to me to get her out now. I made my way towards the stairs, but I didn't take more than ten steps before I heard something that was going to make it a large problem. _Crack._ The floor under my feet gave way as we were falling for a good five seconds. I made sure the girl landed on top of me, but that meant I had to land on my back. I was going to feel that later.

"Mister are you okay!"

"Yah...no problem ok. I'm getting you out no matter what"

"Thank you sir"

"Wha...what did you say?"

"I said thanks for all you did! My daddy told me that it's what you say when someone does a favor for you, like pull you out from under a beam"

"Well, you're welcome...um...what's your name?"

"Alexandria, but you can call me Alexa!"

"Alright Alexa, we're going to get out faster than I thought!"

I remembered the floor we were now on, it was the second. I fumbled a few times to get onto my feet again, but then we were headed out. Maybe giving her my mask wasn't the best idea, it was catching up with me fast. Just when I thought I wasn't going to get her out myself, I made it back into the light. My feet were tripping over themselves, but I had gotten her out.

* * *

I had looked around for twenty minutes or so, but I just couldn't find him. I kept asking about an Alfred F. Jones, but nobody I had talked to had seen him, that is, until I asked the fire fighter at the door.

"You're Matthew, correct?"

I was a bit surprised at that, I didn't think I said my name to anyone here yet.

"Why yes I am, how did you know that?"

"An ambassador had spoken to me about someone of your description. And you're looking for right? He's in the North Tower"

"He's playing the hero, eh..."

"No he's not playing sir, he has gotten at least twenty people out. They pass through here singing his praises"

"Well...thank you sir"

* * *

That's when I saw him for the first time that day...coming out of the entrance to the building, holding a small girl in his arms. My God he looked like a mess. The wounds from the attacks were bleeding profusely and the smoke in the building had caked his face and hair. His glasses were thick with ashes, he was running blind the entire time...

"Alfred!"

"Matthew? Mattie!"

He said something to the girl, entrusting her to one of the nurses running around.

"Oh thank God you're alright, why were you in there?"

"Mattie, I couldn't just leave them all in ther-"

He shoved away a piece of rubble as his eyes became bright with a new pain. He grabbed his heart, scratching at the shirt as he fell onto the ground. He squirmed and twitched as tears came rushing from his eyes.

"Mattie...why...how much more..."

"The Pentagon's been hit!", I heard from one of the men. Three attacks...was there an end in sight? Alfred's strong, but I didn't know how much he could take...we had no idea if or when another attack would occur.

* * *

I wanted to just lay there, the pain was so immense and it encompassed my entire body. It wasn't just New York that was being attacked, the entire country could feel it. It was almost ten, I had to get back in there, who knew when the towers were going to come down. No sooner than I thought that, I heard a large crack, the South Tower was crumbling, it feel...floor by floor until nothing was left. The shock wave threw debris everywhere, but everyone who had gotten out had gotten far enough away that it didn't matter too much. A sharp pain went through my head, the worst migraine I ever had, when the tower went down. I couldn't stop now, the North Tower could go down any minute and there were still people inside. I made a break towards the door, Matthew pulling on my sleeve to stop me.

"Al, it's coming down and you don't want to be inside of it when it does!"

"Matthew! You don't get it ok, you don't get how much this hurts, you don't get how many people I can hear screaming. I'm going in there right now!"

I broke away from his grip, running back into the smoke-filled tower.

* * *

I had reached New York in just over an hour, I had the fastest jet in the RAF get me there. We were in contact with the American government, allowing us to land in New York without the Air Force taking us down. Running off the plane, I made my way through the confusing maze that was downtown New York to the tower still standing. Radio news programs told me of the violence that occurred since I had boarded the plane, the collision and falling of the South Tower and the attack on the Pentagon. Ground Zero was bustling with commotion, people flooding the streets every which-way. Pushing to make my way to the entrance of the towers, I found a familiar face.

"Matthew!"

"Arthur? You made it!"

"Yes, but where is Alfred? Shouldn't he be at your side here?"

"He's..."

He gestured towards the tower. My heart skipped a beat, he was going to get himself killed.

"Why did you let him go in there!"

"I...I didn't let him...He's just so strong..."

"We have to go get him"

"No! It's coming down any second now and you can't be in there too. Al made me promise not to let you in"

"He...he knew I was coming?"

"Of course he did...and he doesn't want you getting hurt either"

"But, how is he right now?"

"He's in terrible shape...the wounds won't stop bleeding...and he was shaking when he came out earlier. England I think he's scared"

* * *

I was seconds away from running out of time, but I had done it again...only this time when I fell, a large pile of rubble had come crashing down on me. I couldn't free my legs, I was stuck.

"Are you ok? That was a hard fall"

"I'm fine...just get out of here quickly ok"

"Thanks for everything!"

I couldn't let anyone get caught in the collapse for me, this would just have to be one of those endings where the hero dies to have everyone else survive. It's a noble sacrifice...that's what I kept telling myself. I tried pulling myself out again and again, but it was no use...my arms were shaking so much that they were useless. I couldn't understand why I was shaking so much...was I afraid? Heroes never become afraid. Everything would work out in the end...at least, that's what always happened in those stories Iggy would read to me...his romanticized endings that I loved so much.

"If only he was here now...he would be too stubborn to be stopped by Mattie..."

Hehe...it made me laugh a little bit imagining his reaction when he found out I was in here...

"I bet he'd flip his lid...saying how reckless I am and how my actions have consequences..."

Then again...if I didn't get out of there, I would never see him again...I wouldn't see either of my brothers again...That's what I would miss most...

"Allllfreeddddd..."

Great I was hearing things...

"Allfredd!"

Or was I?

"Alfred!"

I still couldn't see, my glasses were covered a long time ago, but it sure looked like Iggy...

"You bloody git...look at what you have gotten yourself into"

Yup...it was him, nobody else used those weird insults.

"You...can't move it yourself...I can't get it"

"Oh I have help"

Some of the other rescuers were with him, pulling stuff off of me, piece by piece.

"But why..."

" You've helped out so many people today, we're getting you out of here"

"See Alfred, your people are there to help in a second's notice"

"Thank you...everyone..."

Within a minute or two, they had me out of the building, just like that.

"Alright everyone, I can walk from here"

Just then...I heard that cracking noise again, my headache increased ten fold. The tower was coming down. At 10:28 the Twin Towers were nothing but a pile of concrete. We were way too close to the building for us to be safe. I couldn't let the two countries that had come here on a moments notice to get hurt because of me. I jumped on them, pinning them to the ground as the tower came down, so that I would be the only one hurt. The high pitched ringing in my ears lead me to believe that this was about as much as I could do for today.

"Alfred! What did you do that for?"

"I...couldn't let any...more people I care...about...be hurt..."

"Matthew, we need to get him to the hospital right now"

"Don't worry, an ambulance is on its way right now"

"Alfred, stay with us"

* * *

That bloody idiot...he had not said anything since we arrived at the hospital. The nurses wrapped him up and cleaned him off the best that they could, but his wounds never stopped bleeding. To top it all off, he never once fell asleep...which would have been the best thing for him. He could at least be at peace in his dreams and not have to worry about this...if even for just a little while. But no, he just sat there, his blue eyes glazed over, his body still shaking as he stared outside. Shock. It was shock, I had seen it many times before. It was hard to believe he was the same country...the one that would stand up in world meetings, smiling like an idiot and give ridiculous ideas. The one with that stupid grin...that swaggered way of walking and that cheerful annoying laugh. No, he was different right now. The Alfred that did all those things, he was hurting. He shook...like a small child in a thunder storm...he was afraid. Afraid that the attacks were not over, that at any moment, it could all happen again.

"Arthur..."

"Yes Alfred?"

"Why...why do people do this? Why would anyone want to do this to their fellow humans...To this country...To me...What did I do wrong Arthur...I just wanted to solve all of the problems...I only want to help...But then, why would they do this to me..."

Tears swelled up in his eyes. It was the only incident that I had seen him cry. I did not have an answer to his question though. America, a nation of people willing to shed their own blood for the freedom of another. Sorrow and of pain would come from them for every single being who would share that American dream of freedom. They would give all they had to build a world where everyone is free. He was still so young, he would not understand it if I was able to dictate it. When he declared his independence, this was the kind of thing that he was supposed to understand could happen. I did not have the heart to tell him about the cruel real world...to me even now...he's still just my little brother.

I had told him to sleep hours ago, but he refused me at every turn. It was the only way his body could start to recover, and the only way for his mind to be at ease. But he was so stubborn...no, stubborn wasn't the word. He was afraid that at any moment more attacks would come, he was paranoid.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Matthew and I are here with you now"

"I just..."

The shaking started to become worse now. Bloody hell...what would put him to sleep as a child...Hmm, there was something else I thought of instead...Oh yes...that was it, I hummed it a bit, seeing if I could remember the lyrics, then I continued.

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light  
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?  
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,  
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?  
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,  
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.  
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave  
O'er the land of the free and the home of the..."

He was fast asleep now, peacefully for a while...

"Brave"

* * *

Here's another. This is actually the prequel to the September 11th Aftershock story, and there is actually a third in the set that will be coming soon. Sorry if you caught this when it wasn't properly edited, I had accidently managed to update this with the wrong chapter~


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